China reported the deaths of at least one national-level official, two deputy national-level officials, and 83 provincial or ministerial-level officials in 2023.
Among the deaths were former Premier Li Keqiang, age 68, Standing Committee Member of the Chongqing Municipal Party Committee Zhang Hongxing, age 55, and former Vice Chairman of Guangxi Province CPPCC Yan Zhaojun, age 59.
Due to ongoing censorship, coverups, and delays in the release of obituaries by the Chinese authorities, the actual number of high-ranking officials who died of illness last year may be even higher.
In early 2023, China experienced a COVID-19 surge, while in the fourth quarter of the year, there was an outbreak of a mysterious pneumonia across the country.
However, doctors are forbidden to list COVID-19 as the cause of death when a patient dies from a COVID-19 infection. They often have to also avoid mentioning “pneumonia” in the medical record.
Sang Guowei, former vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, senior academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, and pharmacologist, died of illness in Beijing on Dec. 7, 2023. Xinhua News Agency published Mr. Sang’s eulogy, calling him “a close friend of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).”
Mr. Sang also served as chairman of the 14th Central Committee of the Chinese Peasants and Workers Democratic Party, one of China’s eight minor political parties. The existence of these minor parties is meant to camouflage the dictatorial nature of the CCP.
Mr. Sang was China’s leading scientist in the research of “Innovative Drugs and Modernization of Traditional Chinese Medicine,” a major project under the Ministry of Science and Technology. He also served as vice president of the Zhejiang Academy of Medical Sciences, director of the Institute of Pharmaceutical Research, director of the China Institute for the Control of Pharmaceutical and Biological Products, president of the Chinese Pharmaceutical Society, and other positions.
Zhou Tienong, former vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, former vice chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, and chairman of the 11th Central Committee of the Revolutionary Committee of the Chinese Kuomintang, died of illness in Beijing on Nov. 3, 2023.
Mr. Zhou’s political background is very similar to that of Mr. Sang, as served as the chairman of the 11th Central Committee of the Revolutionary Committee of the Chinese Kuomintang, another minor political party.
In its eulogy, Xinhua News Agency also called him “a close friend of the CCP.”
Suspicious Death
In addition to the suspicious death of former Chinese premier Li Keqiang, the sudden death of Zhang Hongxing also attracted widespread attention and speculation.Mr. Zhang is a member of the Standing Committee of the Chongqing Municipal Party Committee and head of the Liangjiang New Area Party Working Committee.
Local authorities in Chongqing claimed that Mr. Zhang “passed away due to illness” after medical intervention failed to revive him, but did not specify the illness. He was only 55 years old.
Many raised questions over the stated cause of death in the official obituary, as Mr. Zhang appeared normal and healthy during his last public appearance on March 23.
A report in Hong Kong’s Sing Tao Daily on April 3 quoted sources as saying that Mr. Zhang was depressed and jumped to his death from a tall building.
According to Chinese state media, a reporter contacted a local official for more information about Mr. Zhang’s death, but the official refused to provide further details, citing the sensitive nature of the news and the extreme grief of the deceased’s family.
